Even when the man they called “Jimmy Henchman” was on trial earlier this month for running a cocaine ring, his ties to the feud that led to the murders of two hip-hop legends preceded him.

On Friday, Manhattan officials charged James Rosemond with arranging the murder of an associate of the rapper 50 Cent.

On June 5, Rosemond was convicted in a Brooklyn federal court of peddling millions of dollars worth of cocaine.

Rosemond, 47, was indicted for conspiring with five other men to kill the associate, Lowell Fletcher, in 2009.

“This has not been a good month for Jimmy the Henchman,” Raymond W. Kelly, the New York police commissioner, said in a statement.

Rosemond’s lawyer, Gerald L. Shargel, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rosemond is notorious in the hip-hop community for his alleged involvement — which he has consistently denied — in the bicoastal feud that led to the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, known as Biggie Smalls.

He served as the CEO of Czar Entertainment which managed big-name artists including the Game, 50 Cent, Akon, Brandy and boxer Mike Tyson.

Rosemond is being held in a New York federal detention center, where he’s awaiting trial.

He was arrested earlier this summer and charged with using his music business as cover for his transcontinental narcotics empire.

Federal prosecutors originally indicted Rosemond on money laundering and obstruction of charges – as well as an additional charge that he ran a criminal enterprise while smuggling kilos of cocaine in music industry equipment packing cases from Los Angeles to New York.

The 46-year-old owner of Czar Entertainment, who manages singers Brandy and Akon, has pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking allegations.

]]>http://www.guttaworld.com/hip-hop-talent-agent-rosemond-faces-more-federal-charges/feed/0The Game’s Manager, Jimmy Rosemond, Turns Himself In To The FEDshttp://www.guttaworld.com/the-games-manager-jimmy-rosemond-turns-himself-in-to-the-feds/
http://www.guttaworld.com/the-games-manager-jimmy-rosemond-turns-himself-in-to-the-feds/#commentsWed, 25 May 2011 05:29:11 +0000http://www.guttaworld.com/?p=6298The Game’s manager, Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond, turned himself in to the FEDs yesterday (May 23) for his alleged involvement in a cocaine drug ring. The Czar Entertainment Co-CEO manages a slew of talent like Sean Kingston, Brandy, Akon and Mike Tyson; he recently came forward in an interview with XXLmag.com on the matter:

“With the Name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful I have decided to break my silence to address slanderous media once and for all. Firstly, I want to apologize to every music artist and executive I’ve worked with. In addition, I apologize to my family and friends who have had to endure this horrible situation.

The events over the past week, to say the least, have caught me off guard. Although I have been aware of an investigation-taking place over the last four years, I was never informed that an arrest warrant had been issued in my name. I first learned about that warrant through the media when the news was released last week.

The purpose of this statement is not to assert some kind of grandiose conspiracy theory, but I will state some facts. These prosecutors have already begun my trial through the media and I’m releasing this statement in order to set the record straight. I just want a fair trial. I came up from nothing and made some mistakes early in my life of which I have already served time. Since then I have worked hard to establish my career in the music industry only to be targeted by these opportunistic prosecutors with a personal vendetta against me.

I would like to expose the two prosecutors spearheading this slanderous and trumped up case against me. The first, prosecutor Todd Kaminsky, is a 33-year-old White hip-hop head that if he weren’t a lawyer he would probably be a member of the Beastie Boys. Second, Carolyn Porkony, who failed in convicting the Murder Inc. Irv Gotti brothers on, trumped up charges of money laundering. Both have a personal stake in pursuing me and will stop at nothing to bring down an innocent man.

I have endured slanderous media for quite some time. Last year, in their frustration, they employed Chuck Phillips and the Daily News to write baseless stories in the media saying I was a snitch (but never mentioned or produced one person I ‘snitched’ on) to hopefully get people to start cooperating with their bogus investigation. Chuck Phillips started a campaign against me and wrote dozens of letters to inmates serving considerable time in federal prison begging them to cooperate. When those tactics didn’t work, they subpoenaed every person that knew me or worked with me in the music industry, including my accountants, lawyers, secretary, etc.

What compels me to expose this is that I know if I don’t I will not get a fair trial. Todd Kaminsky is hanging his hat on this case and has gone beyond his office to make sure he sensationalizes this to propel himself to some high-end law firm or political office. This is obvious from the deals he has already given his ‘witnesses’ to testify against me. Henry “Black” Butler, a known rolling 60’s gang member, and wife Leah Daniels who are Kaminsky’s star ‘witnesses’ were arrested with drugs and machine guns in Los Angeles. Butler was promised five years and his wife got her case dismissed in exchange for implicating me in their operation. I know nothing of Butler’s criminal activities and was never involved with him concerning those criminal activities. I just know him as a self-proclaimed gangbanger who told jokes all the time and worked for Loud Records in the 90’s. They leaked all this false information about me to the media and left out the truth that Henry Butler denied my involvement until he was promised a reduced sentence of five years if he included me in his operations. There’s absolutely no evidence that supports my involvement in any of this, yet I have been implicated with someone I have no associations with. Through our own investigations, we have compiled a lot of information that proves the prosecutors are overly zealous and aggressive, not to mention unconstitutional. They gave witnesses immunity and have gone as far as to threaten individuals with indictments if they didn’t talk to them about me and corroborate their tales. For instance, Ali “Zo” Adam, whose serving 18 years was offered a lesser sentence and the witness protection program if he testified against me. He refused saying he couldn’t live with the lie but admitted he was tempted by the offer. Many were tempted with the prospect of freedom and hence a case with no evidence was born against me. THIS IS NOT JUSTICE.

Khalil Abdullah’s indictment was leaked in the media as well. I never saw my name on that indictment, and I don’t know what I have to do with whatever he’s been indicted for. Up to now I don’t know what I may be charged with or what crime I’ve committed. For the last 10 years I’ve dedicated myself to servicing the music community but because of my so-called ‘checkered past’, I’ve become an easy target for prosecutors Todd Kaminsky and Carolyn Porkony, not to mention fiction writers like Chuck Phillips and his Daily News cohorts.

If the government is relying on informants like Winston “Winnie” Harris, a convicted drug dealer and Jamaican deportee, who came to me and motioned via hand signal that he was forced to wear a wire and begged me to skip town or Dexter Isaac who is serving life in prison plus 30 years then I’m sure I will not be offered a fair trial. Where’s the real proof that I have committed these crimes? I just want my fair trial and to not be railroaded as they so eagerly want to do.

A fair trial is afforded by the constitution and witnesses should be forthright without pressure or duress. That’s all I want and I’ll turn myself in today.

Again, I apologize to my peers, artists and family for being subjected to all of this.”

Rosemond’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said, ”Although a federal prosecutor told me that there is an arrest warrant out, [but] they refuse to provide me with the warrant or a copy of the charges.”

This latest brush with the law adds on to Rosemond’s colorful past; he’s been imprisoned during the ‘90s and was charged with gun possession in Los Angeles a few years ago. Last year, Rosemond was exposed as a state and federal police informant dating back to the mid-90s. In the court documents, Rosemond’s attorneys asked for leniency in his weapon’s charge case because he helped Brooklyn prosecutors send a man to jail.

He received a lot of backlash in the Hip-Hop Community because of his alleged snitching — something viewed negatively on the Rap scene.

Rosemond’s client, The Game, released an album entitled Stop Snitchin/Stop Lyin in 2005 voicing his hatred towards anyone helping law enforcement officials. Rosemond denies ever cooperating with officials on any case and staunchly proclaims his innocence in the drug ring conspiracy.

Czar Entertainment was in the midst of filming Dead Presidents 2 and Cookout 2 before Rosemond’s legal problems began. Czar Entertainment couldn’t be reached for questioning and the charges remain undisclosed at this time.

Early Monday morning (October 18), breakthrough female emcee Nicki Minaj announced that rap mogul Diddy has been “dismissed” as her manager in favor of industry vet Benny Medina. Medina, who famously managed the careers of superstars like Mariah Carey and Brandy, will be the third manager for the Young Money rapper this year.

According to a statement by Minaj, “By now, everyone should know that I am really strict when it comes to my representation. I had sympathy for [Diddy], however, I feel as if I haven’t gotten the guidance the manager is supposed to give his client. Personally, I feel like I’m being managed by mother. ”

“Even if you play the smallest role on my team,” she continued. “I wish to see progress. I’d like to thank him for everything he has done for me; for taking me under his wing. I wish him the best with repping Rick [Ross]. But now that my album is about to drop, it’s time to get serious and stop playing games.”

This month, Minaj took home 3 BET Awards including Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. Prior to Diddy, Minaj, whose much-anticipated album Pink Friday is set to drop on November 23, enlisted Waka Flocka Flame’s mother Debbie Atney as manager until April 2010.